Christine Oddy will be having a night out on Saturday (28 November) in support of a Coventry trade unionist who faces deportation to his native Nigeria.

The Coventry and North Warwickshire Euro MP will attend a benefit night in support of Columbus Anyanwu, who has lived in Britain for more than four years but has now been refused political asylum.

Mr Anyanwu has been told that he must return to Nigeria where, as a high ranking trade union official, he suffered harassment and intimidation after criticising the country's military dictatorship and its endemic corruption.

He came to Britain in 1994 to study for a master's degree in Comparative Labour Studies at Warwick University. Whilst a student he was advised that his life, and that of his wife and three children, might be at risk if he returned home.

Ms Oddy, who has already written to the Home Office Minister Mike O'Brien asking him to lift the threat of deportation, said:

"Nigeria’s military governments have a long record of brutality, including murder, to their political opponents. Mr Anyanwu has already suffered because of his criticisms and faces a very uncertain future if he and his family are forced to return to Nigeria."

Saturday's event at Coventry Working Men's Club, is being organised by the Columbus Support Group, Coventry Against Racism and the Coventry Trades Council.